Marianne Nowottny has long toyed with the persona of Marzanna, but this year she gives it full flesh with Marzanna, her first cover album. Known for her singular phrasing and a voice that can sway between smoky depths and fragile wisps, Nowottny has always dabbled in reimagining the canon, performing songs by Yazoo, Nico, and Astrud Gilberto, but here she devotes herself fully to the art of reinterpretation. The record’s very existence is a success, because after five years of false starts, corrupted hard drives, and digital losses, she finally brought it to life with the help of friends and collaborators from around the world. Released on August 14th, 2025, this album reshapes classics into eerie, stirring, sometimes unsettling reflections.
Her version of Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights” is perhaps the boldest opening move. Where Bush soared in a glassy soprano, Nowottny sinks low, grounding the song in brooding shadows. The effect is eccentric, almost gothic, tilting the familiar melody into something that comes like an ominous echo. Later, on “You’re My Thrill,” the atmosphere drapes itself in slow, mistiness, as strings writhe faintly in the background as melodies chime like scattered glass. Singing in a breathy, sensual hush, she confesses devotion with a tender and dangerous weight, as though euphoria might tip into obsession.
“Stella Maris,” a German duet with Christian Corea, folds two contrasting timbres into a single lament. His grounded, resonant voice underpins her whispery, fragile phrasing. They create this chiaroscuro of sound over melancholic orchestration. Then comes “Both Sides Now,” where vulnerability cuts deepest. With Katie Lo’s harp rippling gently beneath her, Nowottny strips the song bare, as her voice, clearer than before, trembles with grief and agony.
Listen to the intriguing Marzanna come alive in her different facets through the songs, on Spotify.
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Review by: Naomi Joan